Tweed Heads Bowls Club solves a solar problem
When Tweed Head Bowls Club was planning to install rooftop solar panels to help
offset their high energy costs they encountered an unlikely problem.

The club is situated close to the Pacific Ocean and as a result they receive a
salt laden sea breeze. Furthermore, local land development and extensions to the
nearby Coolangatta Airport meant that the airborne dust would adhere to the
panels due to the salty condensation.

Their solar installer, Huon Hoogesteger of Smart Commercial Solar said that
originally the 100KW scheme had been proposed using conventional panels, but
early in the planning stage they became aware of the potential for panel soiling
that would have created the need for much higher cleaning costs than usual.

"As a result we recommended a change in the panel specification to a dual module
called Trina Solar Duomax that will cut down on the high cleaning requirement
and as a result drastically reduce this maintenance cost.

"This type of panel is a frameless module comprising of two layers of 2.5mm heat
strengthened glass that replaces the plastic backing sheet that is found on most
photovoltaic solar panels. It provides protection from salt mist, sand, acid,
alkali, has a fire class A safety rating and reduces UV ageing," he said.

Gerard Robinson Tweed Heads Bowls Club General Manager said: "We have now
installed 384 Trina Solar Duomax double glass panels on the strong
recommendation of our installer that will generate 100KW a year and save 150
tonnes of carbon.

"As well as the solar, we have been replacing old plant and lights so our
$80,000 monthly summer power bill will be cut by $20,000 and the incentive is
for us to drive to increase our savings even further by expanding the size of
our solar scheme in the future when we complete some planned roof renovations.

"In our climate, not surprisingly air conditioning is our biggest cost as our
club is on three levels with three dining areas and we even have an indoor air
conditioned Bowling Green, where the Australian indoor bowling championships are
played each year," Gerard Robinson said.

Tweed Heads Bowls Club: Founded in 1921, it moved to the current site in 1975
which is situated a few hundred metres from the New South Wales and Queensland
borders on the south east end of the Gold Coast.

It has four world glass outdoor bowling greens and a world class indoor bowls
facility where the Australian Indoor Bowls Championships are held each year.

There are three restaurants to suit tastes and price points.

About Trina Solar: Trina Solar is a tier one world supplier of photovoltaic
modules. Founded in 1997, it employs 15,000 people in 22 countries and has been
listed on the New York Stock Exchange since 2006 and was declared the most
bankable company in the 2016 Bloomberg Finance Report. It has shipped more than
15 GW of solar panels world-wide since 2007. In Australia Trina Solar has an R&D
investment through support of the Australian National University and the
University of NSW and is a major module supplier nationally to the commercial
and domestic markets. www.trinasolar.com.au

Released for Trina Solar by Dennis Rutzou Public Relations (www.drpr.com.au)
For further information please call Dennis Rutzou on 0411 510 888.